1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to portable ice coolers or chests and, more particularly, to a detachable tote that permits easy wheeling of the cooler.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several means for providing wheeled transport of portable coolers are described in the prior art. One such means is to include wheels as a permanent part of the cooler. Representative examples of this art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,841 to Bradshaw et al. which shows a cooler that has wheels permanently attached to one corner of the cooler with a handle on the opposite side for pulling the cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,493 to Mason describes a cooler with permanently attached retractable wheels and a handle for pulling the cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,681 to Bartholomew et al. reveals a cooler having a permanently attached wheel assembly and a handle that serves as a lock when the cooler is closed. Unfortunately such devices are of little consequence for the millions of coolers made without a wheeled transport means.
Another way of providing wheeled transport to cooler is to provide a nonintegral removable wheeling device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,535 to Jones discloses a portable refreshment cooler configured for attachment to a wheeled golf cart. Such a design is directed toward a very small cooler designed for one or two items and does not have applicability to picnic coolers.
Detachable devices for wheeling luggage or duffle bags are also disclosed in the prior art. As representative examples of this art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,241 to Elsas shows a trolley that is attached to the corner of a suitcase by means of straps. U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,773 to Bruno describes two separate pairs of wheels that are each attached to a piece of luggage by means of a strap. U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,196 to Stiles discloses a pair of wheels attached to a duffle bag by means of a pair of straps. U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,990 to Davis reveals a bracket with a set of wheels that is attached to suitcase by means of a strap or belt. U.S. Pat. No. 2,670,969 to Costikyan depicts a luggage carrier harness for attaching a set of wheels to a piece of luggage. U.S. Pat. No. 2,365,338 to Alexander shows a set of wheels that is attached to a frame that is folded to conform to the corner of a piece of luggage and strapped to the luggage. Unfortunately such devices work poorly in the rugged environment in which most coolers are used.
All of the prior art means for providing wheeled transport to cooler have wheels that are permanently attached to the cooler or the cooler must be specifically constructed to be attached to a wheeling device that is designed for other purposes. The devices for providing wheeled portability to luggage do not address the problem of maintaining stability so as to prevent the cooler from slipping out of the straps and off the wheels and the cooler contents from spilling when used on surfaces that are not hard and smooth. These deficiencies are especially severe in view of the large numbers of coolers that have already been made without wheeled transport means and the rugged terrain in which coolers are usually used. Moreover coolers with attached wheels are expensive compared to existing coolers and are heavier, bulkier, and more difficult to load and unload from an automobile not to mention the extra space taken up by the wheels and resulting inconvenience of storage.